David Meyer, an eye doctor from Memphis, Tennessee was the high bidder of $156,000. The state of Utah began a program in 1997 to find ways of raising money for their wildlife and conservation programs. They came up with an auction to sell permits to hunt mule deer, as was the case in Meyer’s successful bid. His permit allows him the chance to hunt for a buck in the wildlife management area of his choice.
The $156,000 is believed to be the highest bid ever in North America for a deer permit. In 2005, Meyer paid $82,000 for the same permit. Meyer is happy to pay the price as he knows the money is going to a good cause.
So, where does the money go? More than 2,230 permits have been auctioned off since 1997 and a total of more than $9 million has been raised. 30% of the money raised is sent to the Division of Wildlife Resources for habitat projects specifically intended for the species from which the permit was sold. Another 60% can go to either the DWR or kept by hunting groups to be used for conservation and other projects like wildlife transplants. The remaining 10% go to the groups responsible for auctioning off the permits to defray costs of putting on banquets, etc.
For information on this project, you can read an article in the Salt Lake Tribune by Brett Pettyman.
Tom Remington
